


Scars

by MelanatedRavenclaw



Series: Fire On Fire [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Sokka is a good friend, Zuko still deserves nice things
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24871687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelanatedRavenclaw/pseuds/MelanatedRavenclaw
Summary: “Katara, there’s one other thing.”The change in Zuko’s voice made her curious. He sounded almost shy.“Would you come with me? To find her?”“Of course, I’ll come with you,” Katara said to him earnestly. She grabbed his hands, “I don’t know how you thought I would let you leave without me.”Or, the one where Zuko and Katara set out to find his mom and chaos ensues. But hey at least they have each other, right?
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: Fire On Fire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797913
Comments: 7
Kudos: 48





	1. Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to Not In That Way. You don't need to read the one first, but it does set the scene and this story picks up literally where that story ends. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**_ "I saw you and I knew  
Maybe it's 'cause I got a little bit older  
Maybe it's all that I've been through  
I'd like to think it's how you lean on my shoulder  
And how I see myself with you"  _ **

* * *

“Do you have everything you need?” 

Katara wanted to roll her eyes but refrained. She knew Zuko was anxious to get on the road and that’s why he had asked her the same question for the third time. Not to mention, he'd had a rough morning.

His advisers did not want the Fire Lord to go on a journey on his own. Katara understood, but she also knew Zuko was not going to give up so easily. She had listened to him and Teke, his adviser, go back and forth all last night and once again this morning. 

She wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow Zuko managed to convince them that he was powerful enough to travel without a delegation, and with Katara and her healing abilities, they would be okay. In the end, they compromised. They would have a delegation of ten, which is about fifty less than Teke first suggested. 

Zuko was under the impression that his face wasn’t as known and they would be able to travel without much trouble. Katara knew better than that though, there were few places that didn’t share the tales of their journey and his relationship with the Avatar. However, she wasn’t concerned they would face troubles on their journey.

“Yes, I do.” She answered his question. They would be traveling by ship for most of the journey and had tried to minimize their stops as much as possible. 

The two of them walked onto the boat. She followed behind him cautiously, she was still not a big fan of being on Fire Nation ships. 

She followed Zuko down the hall until he stopped. 

“This room will be yours.” He looked over at her. “Mine is right across from here.” 

She nodded and then opened the door. Inside it wasn’t much, there was a bed, an en-suite bathroom, and a desk. She had expected to see the Fire Nation red all over but was pleasantly surprised. Instead, everything was blue. Her duvet even had a traditional Water Tribe print on it. Katara turned to face Zuko.

“Did you do this?”

Zuko gave her a small smile, his cheek tinged red. 

“Yeah, I just figured you’d be more comfortable with this.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, “I love it. Thank you so much for this.”

“It’s been a while since you’ve been home, so I wanted you to feel as comfortable as possible.” 

Zuko wrapped his arms around her also. She felt warm and it wasn’t just from the hug. 

They pulled back some and she stared into his eyes. Those beautiful golden eyes had seen so much hate and destruction. But, they were his eyes and she loved them. 

“What are you thinking about?” His voice brought her back to the present. 

She blushed and averted her eyes. “Uh, nothing. Are you hungry?”

“Honestly, I’m tired. But, let me give you a tour of the place so you can easily maneuver. I’ll also show you to the kitchen so you can get some food.”

The tour was pretty short, there wasn’t much to see. It was a pretty small boat. While they were in the kitchen she made something quick for herself and Zuko to eat. She handed him the sandwich. 

“You need to eat.”

“I’m really not that hungry.” He shrugged. 

“Zuko, you barely touched your food last night and then again this morning. You need to eat so you can keep your strength.”

“I know, and I will. I just have some work to do first.” 

Katara sighed. She knew he wasn’t eating as much from the nerves, but he needed to take better care of himself. He hadn't been eating much before, and she was sure this journey was not going to help any.

“Fine, but promise me you will finish this sandwich.”

“I will, I promise.” He gave her a small smile. “And Katara?”

She looked up at him. “Yes?” 

“Thank you for always taking care of me.” He smiled, his gold eyes twinkling. 

“You don’t have to thank me. We take care of one another, it’s what we do.”

In the end, Zuko didn’t eat the sandwich but he did take it with him on his way to the meeting room. 

“I’ll be here, probably for the rest of the night. But, I think in a couple of days we’ll be near Omashu.”

“Really?” Katara brightened, “I think Sokka and Suki are there right now! We should pay them a visit.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Katara nodded, she had just seen them but she loved seeing her brother. It was still weird not being with him every day. Plus, through the years Zuko and Sokka had become really close. It surprised her, but also didn’t.

Looking back up at Zuko she saw him staring at her as they hovered outside the meeting room. 

“I - I guess I'll go.” 

“Yeah, have a good meeting.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to join?”

She wrinkled her nose, “I’m good. I’ve had enough talk of politics for right now.”

They bade each other goodnight and then she went into her room to unpack. After unpacking, she fell down onto her bed. She was still exhausted from her interaction with Aang. Katara could hardly believe it was only yesterday that she had told him how she felt. 

Aang had reacted the way she had expected, he was hurt. She had to admit, she was also upset that he left without saying goodbye but she tried to be understanding. Her mind moved on to Zuko. She was really happy for him being able to finally find his mom. Katara was definitely curious about the woman, she didn’t know much about her besides the fact that she was caring and loved her children very much. It would be interesting to meet the woman that had married Ozai. 

Katara could feel sleep trying to overtake her, she got out of bed and went to the restroom so she could take a quick bath and go through her nightly routine. Climbing into bed, it didn’t take long for her to drift off into a peaceful slumber. 

The sounds of screaming woke her up. 

She jumped up, heart pounding as her sheets fell to her waist. Using the water from the glass she kept on her desk, she started to pull the water to her. Feeling the familiar warmth in her body that using her bending gave her, she got out of bed ready to defend herself. There didn’t seem to be any immediate danger. She also didn’t hear the scream again. 

She opened her door slowly, and immediately released her bending. Outside of her door was a group of Fire Nation soldiers. She hesitated slightly, she was better with the soldiers but sometimes it took her a while to remember they weren’t still at war. Even with her being in the Fire Nation for the past few months, it was still something she struggled with. 

Seeing the soldier all pointed at Zuko’s door, she was able to deduce what had occurred. 

The captain, Rian, turned to her as she opened the door, “Katara? We heard the screams but he told us not to enter. We do not believe he is being attacked.”

She nodded, “No, I don’t think so either. I’ll take it from here.”

The guards all looked at her confused, but she kept her eyes on Rian. She knew him, he was one of the people she had trained in the water bending movements. 

“With all due respect Katara, what are you planning to do?”

What was she planning to do? What she always did. “I’m going to be there for him.” 

She opened the door without knocking and let herself in. It was dark in the room, but she saw a light from the closed bathroom door. 

Walking slowly as to avoid knocking into anything in the unknown bedroom, she made her way to the bathroom. She knocked gently on the door. 

“Zuko? It’s me.”

“Katara?”

“Yes, can I come in?”

There was silence. She wanted to know what started this, Zuko hadn’t had a nightmare in months. 

“No, I’m coming out.”

He opened the door, he was just wearing his sleep pants and was shirtless. His hair was down and touching his shoulders. He had continued to let his hair grow but tended to keep it just below his clavicle. His eyes looked tired, and his face was wet as if he had just splashed water on it. 

She wanted to ask if he was okay, or if he wanted to talk, but instead she just silently reached out her hand. His pale hand covered her own and then she tightened her grip on his hand and lead him to his bed. Still mindful of the fact that she didn’t know the set up of this room, she walked slowly. Although so far, it seemed pretty similar to her own. 

When she reached the edge of the bed she sat down and scooted over so he could get in. They were both sitting up resting with their backs on the headboard. She still hadn’t let go of his hand. They sat in silence for a while. There was a time when Katara hated silence between two people. It made her uncomfortable, she felt like she needed to fill it with something, anything. But, as she grew up she started to feel more comfortable with the lack of noise. 

She also used to struggle with finding the right words to say to someone, but the war had taught her enough about trauma to know that sometimes even the most perfect words can fall on deaf ears. Some situations are just too unfathomable that even kind words can’t fix. Now, she embraces the silence. It was actually Zuko that had taught her that. He had shown her the art of just sitting with someone in the midst of their pain without trying to fix it. 

This was what she tried to do with him, so she would sit in silence all night if that was what he needed. The silence continued on for maybe another 5 minutes before he spoke again. 

“Did I wake you?” His voice was rough from disuse.

“Yes,” her voice was no different. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I have no plans for tomorrow.” She couldn’t see much in the dark room, but she was able to slightly make out his face. He smiled at her comment. 

“Yeah, me either.”

“You don’t have any meetings?”

“No, I shouldn’t have any more unless something urgent comes up.”

She hummed in agreement. Good for him, maybe now she could convince him to get some much-needed rest. 

“I had a nightmare.”

She nodded, she had expected that. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It was the same as always, my dad managed to escape the prison and somehow managed to find some people still loyal to him and then he challenges me to an Agni Kai. And right before he’s about to kill me I wake up. Except for this time, it was different. He didn’t challenge me, he challenged you. And you accepted, no matter how much I begged you not to.”

“I take it this dream doesn’t end well for me.

Zuko sighed. “You could say that.”

She squeezed his hand. “He’s locked up, under maximum security. You vetted the guards around him yourself, you would know if any of them were disloyal. There is no way any of that would happen.”

Zuko didn’t respond to her. 

“Besides, you have no faith in me. I could totally take on your dad.”

Zuko chucked at that. “I’m sure you could, you’re quite possibly one of the strongest people I know.”

Katara blushed at the praise, she always felt butterflies when the man complimented her. 

“Do you think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?”

“I think so, besides even if I’m not you need to get some sleep.” 

“No, I’m fine.” She insisted, but then her traitorous body let out a yawn. 

Zuko laughed, “Sure you are. Uhm…if you want…you can sleep in here. Or go back to your own room. It’s not that far, and that makes sense.”

She wanted to laugh at him. This was the side of Zuko she adored. Who knew that under all that gruff exterior was such a shy, awkward person? Katara squeezed his hand, “I’ll stay..if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.”

“Good. Besides, it not like this is our first time sharing a bed.” She smiled as she tried to calm her own nerves. 

“I guess you’re right.” Zuko nodded thoughtfully.

They both settled down into the bed. They were shoulder to shoulder, but still holding hands. Katara wasn’t quite sure what to do, she didn’t usually sleep on her back but she wanted to keep contact with Zuko. Plus, he was warm and his room was a lot cooler than hers. She hadn’t noticed it before, but it seemed they took into account her lack of fire bending blood and gave her the warmest room. 

Would he think it weird if she scooted closer? They had never explicitly stated what they were. Katara knew, but she didn’t really know. She shook her head, she did not need to overthink this. She would just ask Zuko. She opened her mouth to speak but Zuko’s voice stopped her. 

“Katara, are we together?”

“Do you want to be together?”

“Well..yes. I know we talked about not becoming official until you spoke to Aang. I guess I just wanted to see if that was still your plan…or if maybe you’d changed your mind.”

“No, I have changed my mind. I mean we kissed last night and I meant that.”

“Okay, good.” Zuko seemed to relax at her words. 

“Good. So, you’re my boyfriend.” She wanted to giggle at the silliness of it all. 

“Yeah, I am.” She could hear the smile in his voice. She was starting to feel warm all over again. At this rate, she wouldn't need to be a fire bender to stay warm she just needed to keep talking to him. 

Zuko groaned suddenly.

“What? What is it?”

“Your brother is going to kill me.” 

“I doubt it, he adores you.”

“No, he made me promise to take care of you when you decided to first come to the Fire Nation. I don’t think this is what he meant.”

“I wouldn’t worry about Sokka, if I were you I’d be more concerned with meeting my father.” 

Zuko groaned again at her words. 

Katara couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m just kidding, don’t worry Zuko. Neither of them will be upset. If I’m being honest, everyone will like you. How could they not?”

“Well, you already know Uncle Iroh loves you.”

“The feeling is mutual, it would be nice to see him again soon too.”

“Maybe we can stop to see him, he is in Ba Sing Se after all.”

“Are you sure? I know how much you want to see your mom. We don’t have to make unnecessary stops.”

“It’s okay, family is never an unnecessary stop.” 

She smiled. She could feel Zuko tugging on her arm and pulling her closer to him. She followed until she was resting her head on his shoulder. 

“Is this okay?” He sounded nervous again.

“This is perfect,” Katara smiled, “I was actually getting a little cold.” 

Zuko wrapped his arms around her and then pulled the duvet over them both making sure to tuck her in. 

“Let me know if you get too cold. I can start a fire.” 

They said nothing for a while, and Katara traced the scar on his stomach from his Agni Kai with Azula. She shuddered as she remembered that night. Zuko had been in battles through the years and his body showed it. There were scars littered across his chest. Most were tiny, a few were slight burn marks. He had a warrior’s body. 

Katara was in no place to judge, after the war she had a number of scars of her own. Trying to distract herself she decided to question Zuko.

“Can you sleep?”

“Hm, not yet.”

“Tell me something.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. Tell me something about your mom.”

She could feel his steady breathing as he thought of her words. He was currently drawing lazy circles on her arm. 

“She loved theatre and would always take me to plays. She also loved to sing, she would sing all the time when it was just me and her. Which happened often, Azula never seemed interested in hanging out with us.”

“Hm. It’ll be nice to be able to take her to some plays.”

Zuko made a disgruntled sound. “Katara, what if..what if it's not a happy reunion? What if she forgot about me? What if —“

“Stop. You could what if yourself all night. I think this will be a happy reunion because I know she has been as desperate to see you as you are to see her.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I don’t, but I have to believe it.”

“How do you always seem to find the bright side of things?”

Katara shrugged. “I don’t know, but from what I’ve heard about your mother. She doesn’t seem the type to not be happy to see her estranged son.” 

“We’ll see. I bet she’s changed so much. What if I don’t recognize her?”

“Then we’ll ask around. You said she was going by another name?”

“Yes, she’s been going by Noriko.” 

“That’s smart to change her identity. I bet you get your brilliant mind from her.”

Zuko laughed, “Yeah, maybe.”

Katara could feel herself drifting back to sleep. She heard Zuko call her name, but she couldn’t make out anything after that as she quickly fell asleep. 

* * *

Katara woke up feeling incredibly warm. She tried to lift her head but found she couldn’t move, her neck was trapped by something heavy. _Zuko’s arm_ , she realized. She was using his body as a pillow. He seemed to still be sleeping. His head was facing away from her, and she could easily see the burn on his face. 

She knew that Zuko still avoided mirrors because of the scar. She had asked him previously if he wanted her to heal it and then again more recently. It was doubtful that she’d be able to completely erase it but she could at least lighten it. 

He told her no but he didn’t tell her why; she figured it was because he thought he deserved it.

Zuko moved under her, she continued watching his face as he slowly gained consciousness. She watched as his long lashes fluttered before his eyes fully opened. His hair was sprawled on the pillow. It was a good thing she braided her hair before going to sleep or else he would’ve been all on it. 

This wasn’t the first night she had slept with Zuko, but it was the first night they woken up tangled up together. She was curious to see his reaction. 

“Good morning,” she said when his eyes locked to hers.

“Mornin’,” he rasped, his morning voice sending a shiver down her spine. 

“How did you sleep?”

“I was in and out for a while, but I was finally able to get some sleep.”

“That’s good.”

“How did you sleep?”

“I slept great, actually.” It was true, she felt really refreshed. 

Zuko seemed to realize he was keeping her trapped, he removed his arm and freed her from her confines. “Sorry,” he whispered. 

She just smiled, “Don’t be, you kept me warm. It was nice.” 

He gave her a small smile.

“So,” she started, “I’m new to traveling on a ship for long distances. What did you use to do for fun?”

“There isn’t much to do on a ship honestly.” Zuko shrugged, his hair was falling into his face. Katara had to stop herself from reaching up to move it out of the way. 

Then she remembered she no longer had to hold back anymore.

She reached her hand up and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. He said nothing just watched her as she did it to his other side. 

“I know you had to have done something besides talking to your Uncle.”

It looked like he was blushing, “Uh...I mostly just tried to plan where the Avatar could be.”

Katara couldn’t help it, she laughed. 

Zuko just looked embarrassed, “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m sorry, I’m just imagining 15 year old you getting mad at Aang.”

“I’m glad my pain is funny to you.” Katara looked up at his words but saw he was smiling.

“I know everything happens for a reason, but I wonder what would’ve happened if we had met earlier.”

“We did meet pretty early, Katara.”

She rolled her eyes, “You know what I mean. I mean what if you had joined us earlier.”

“What do you think would have been different?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess a lot of things. I mean Aang would’ve had a fire bending teacher earlier, and we would’ve been friends longer. Do you think we would have still ended up here?”

“Together?”

She nodded.

“Maybe. It’s hard to tell. Do you want to know a secret?”

“Of course.”

“While I was out traveling, I met a fortune-teller. I didn’t want to get my fortune read, but my Uncle insisted we go see her. I thought it was all a bunch of crap, but I wanted to see if she could tell me something that would help me find the Avatar. She didn’t. But I do remember she told me this; she said right now I’m sad and lonely, but one day I’ll have such a large family. Then she told me that my lover would be incredibly powerful, in more ways than one, but she would not be a fire bender. I think she also said something about how fire isn’t the only way a person can be burned.” 

He chuckled. “I remember not caring at first because none of that was about Avatar. Then I became angry, I figured it meant I would never be able to return home if I ended up with someone that wasn’t a fire bender. In the end, I just forgot about it. I wish I remembered more about what she said now.”

“Wow. Maybe when we’re out we can find another fortune-teller? You know, I also met one. She told me I would end up with a powerful bender as well.”

“Really? Maybe they just say that to everyone.”

Katara laughed, “Maybe. But, I’ll have you to know I am a believer.”

Zuko shook his head, “Of course you are.”

Katara shoved him. “Alright, I know what I want to do this morning.”

“What?”

Katara grinned over at him. “I want to spar.”


	2. Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Katara loved sparring with Zuko, it was such a thrill. It helped her reflexes to practice dodging his fire, and she was learning more strategies when facing other fire benders. 

She stood across from him on the ship deck. 

Her breath was erratic, she had just dodged multiple flames he had thrown. She gathered the water in her palms to retaliate. If she could just trap him in a water bubble then he’d be done for. 

But, for now, he wouldn’t stop moving. 

“Are you getting tired? Ready to give up?” He smirked at her.

“Not a chance. You’re going down _Fire Lord.”_

Gathering her strength, she called upon the water and sent a stream of it toward him in a ton of different directions. 

She was getting better, but Zuko was fast. Really fast, he sent a fireball toward her and she could barely dodge it, the fire whipped past her face. She could smell where the fire had singed her hair. 

Before she knew it he’d had her surrounded in a wall of fire. She raised her eyebrows, he had to be planning something. This was almost too easy. 

She easily put out the fire around her and then pulled the water from the ocean to the deck floor, hoping to make it slippery for him. 

It worked. 

He lost his balance slightly, but it was enough. Catching him off guard she trapped his feet, by turning the water to ice. 

Pulling the water to her she was ready for her final blow. 

“Any last words?” she smirked as the water enveloped her hands. 

“You’re beautiful when you’re fighting.”

Katara’s heart flutters at the comment, but she knew what he was doing. There was no way she was going to let him win. 

Besides, she had him where she wanted him. She sent out a stream of water, drenching him. 

She watched as he sputtered and tried to catch his breath before undoing the ice and walking over to him. 

“I win.” She smiled, as she saw him shaking out his hair. 

“Next time you’re going down,” he said as he wrung out his hair. “I meant what I said though, you are beautiful when you’re fighting.”

Katara rolled her eyes, “You should practice focusing your fire down to your feet and then you can easily get out of an ice trap.”

Zuko nodded, “I thought about trying it but didn’t want to do that in the middle of our sparring. But you’ve been improving with your non-bending fighting.”

“All of that work has definitely been paying off.” Katara nodded, she and Zuko had also been trying to practice fighting without using their bending. He was much better at it than she was, and had been teaching her some basic moves.

They had started sparring a few months ago as a way to let off steam and now it was something she really enjoyed. 

“Are you ready to get cleaned up?”

Zuko nodded. “Yeah, we should be nearing Omashu soon. I’ve already sent word to Sokka.”

The two of them headed off into their separate quarters. Katara was so excited, she hadn’t seen her brother in a while and was really excited to see him and Suki, especially now that they were engaged. 

After getting dressed, she went outside to find Zuko was already outside. He was talking to Rian. She admired him from afar, he was in his traditional Fire Nation red but was dressed more casually than his Fire Lord robes. He looked strong still as if he could take on a fleet of soldiers. 

She stared off into the water, they were nearly approaching the dock. Watching Zuko work made her start to wonder about what her next steps would be. She felt like everyone had their life together and she was still trying to figure it out for herself. Zuko was running a nation, Toph was training earth benders, and Sokka was on his way to becoming a chief. It seemed everyone had a plan, and she still hadn’t discovered what she wanted to do. 

During the war, she had a purpose, but since then she hadn’t felt fulfilled. She knew she could always return home and help Sokka with his chief duties. But, she wanted something that was hers. She thought about healing, she loved it but wasn’t sure if she wanted to dedicate her life to being a healer. If she was being honest, she didn’t overly love politics but she knew she could navigate them if necessary. Sometimes she felt like she had too many options, but at the same time, not enough.

Katara sighed. It wasn’t like she would figure it out today. Looking up, she saw they were close enough to land that she could make out the people on the dock. In the midst of all the people, she saw a smiling Sokka, frantically waving to get her attention.

Seeing Sokka made her heart swell. It seemed he was growing his hair out as well. He was also so much taller. As soon as the boat docked, she ran off and into his arms.

“I missed you so much!” she squealed into his arms. 

“I missed you too, sis.” He responded squeezing her tight.

She stepped back to look at him, he looked healthy. And he looked happy. 

She noticed him staring at her too as if he was trying to figure something out. 

“Sokka!” Zuko called his name from behind her. She turned him with a blush, she had almost forgotten about Zuko. 

“Zuko!” Sokka yelled back. The two of them embraced. 

“I see you’re still putting up with my sister.”

Zuko glanced at her with a small smile, “She’s not so bad. Besides, I’m still surprised Suki puts up with you. I’m surprised she hasn’t run off yet.”

“You and me both.” Sokka laughed, “I still owe you a drink, I definitely wouldn’t have had the courage to ask her to marry me without you.”

“Of course.” 

Sokka looked at Rian and some of the guards coming off the ship and heading their way. 

“Uhm is this your entourage?” 

“Unfortunately,” Zuko looked pained. “I’ll get rid of them.”

They watched Zuko meet up with Rian halfway.

“He didn’t want to have anyone come at all, but they were not pleased with the thought of their Fire Lord out without protection.”

“It makes sense, but I’m pretty sure Zuko could easily take on all of them.”

Katara smiled, “That’s what he said. This was their compromise.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s finally going to find his mom. I wish I could go with him, but I need to be here with Suki and the Water Tribe. I mean it’s only fitting, he went with me to find Dad.”

He shook his head, “Well at least you’re going with him, so he’s not making this journey alone.”

Nodding her head, she turned to see Zuko heading back their way.

“Okay, we should be good for the night at least. I’m sure they’re going to station troops outside the house we’re staying in no matter what I say.”

Sokka smiled, “We could always give them a run for their money. I’m pretty good at evading fire nation troops.”

“I would be willing to try it.” Zuko laughed.

“Honestly, why is it every time you two get together you resort back to being children? Zuko, you should not evade your entourage. They’re only here to protect you.”

Sokka wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Oh, Katara still acting like you’re our mom, huh? You’ll never find a man that way.”

Katara could feel her face warming up, she avoided looking at Zuko. Despite her nerves, she managed to keep her cool.

“Yeah, because that’s all I want in life is to find a man.” She said while trying to break free from his arm. 

“You never know Sokka, some guy may like Katara taking care of them,” Zuko interjected.

Sokka laughed, “Pretty sure Aang is the only guy that would be okay with that.”

Katara froze. She was still a little sore from her encounter with Aang and hearing Sokka mention him so carelessly was causing her distress. She wanted to tell him but also wasn’t sure if she should broadcast Aang’s business with all of his friends.

Zuko, being the miracle worker he is, spoke up then. “So Sokka where are we staying exactly? I need to make sure it's up to Fire Lord standards.”

Thankfully Sokka took the bait as Zuko had predicted.

“Are you kidding me? This place is so nice! It’s going to make your palace look like a dump.”

The three of them headed off to the house. On the way there, Katara learned it was actually one of Sukki’s relatives that owned the home. She also learned they were staying there for a brief period so Sukki could visit family before they returned to back home to the southern water tribe. 

She watched as Zuko and Sokka caught back up, the two of them were laughing and having a good time. The sight made her smile, she was glad to see her boyfriend and brother getting along. She thought back to earlier, she figured maybe she should tell her brother about Aang. At the very least so he would leave her alone about it. 

Walking into the home, still trailing behind the boys she found Suki at the table with papers all around her. 

When she noticed their entrance, she stood up with a smile. “It’s so good to see you all.”

“It's good to see you too,” Katara said as she gave her soon to be sister-in-law a hug.

“Well while you two catch up and do whatever it is women, I’m going to take Zuko out.”

Katara watched as Suki raised an eyebrow. “Just remember, these two women can kick your ass. Blindfolded.”

Sokka had the decency to look embarrassed. 

“Don’t worry. I’m very much aware that you can kick my ass. Not that I mind it much.”

“Ugh, seriously Sokka? Here I was hoping you’d become less sexist over the years.”

“Oh, he has.” Suki stated, “He’s just showing off right now.”

“Let’s go Sokka before you have both of them hating us.” Zuko shook his head.

“Good to see one of you has some sense,” Suki turned to Zuko, “You look good Zuko, ruling the fire nation suits you.”

“Hey! Stop flirting with Zuko. Which reminds me, Zuko, you should meet Suki’s cousin. You both have that broody exterior, but really squishy on the inside.”

“Squishy?” Zuko furrowed his eyebrow. 

“Yeah, face it man you’re squishy.”

Sokka grabbed Zuko’s arm and turned him out the door. Zuko looked back at her with a pained expression on his face. 

She wasn’t sure what her face was saying, because she wasn’t sure how to feel. Of course, she didn’t care if her brother knew she was dating Zuko. But, she figured maybe it would be best if they told him together. 

She pushed that thought to the side for now. Although, she was curious about what Zuko would say about Sokka trying to play matchmaker. Logically, she knew she had nothing to worry about. But, it still didn’t stop the slight feeling of jealousy that rose in her stomach when thinking about this other woman that Zuko’s best friend thought would be good for him. 

Turning to Suki she looked down at all the papers, they were all wedding related. 

“How is wedding planning coming along?”

“It’s fun, but also really stressful. Part of me wants to elope somewhere.”

“That bad huh?” Katara laughed as the two of them took a seat.

“Yeah, I mean mostly it’s difficult because of the combining of two cultures.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m from the Earth Kingdom and he’s from the Water Tribe. We both have our own marital customs and traditions. I’ve been trying to find ways to respect both of them.”

“Hmm. I guess I never thought of that.”

“Yeah, I don’t suppose many people do. Inter-nation marriages are actually not very common.”

“Wow, I mean I guess it makes sense. It’s not like we all intermingle much.”

“Exactly, I hope that in the future that will change.” 

“Me too, it also makes me wonder how you’ll raise your children. I mean assuming you want to have them.”

Suki was still a Kyoshi Warrior, she split her time with Sokka and work. Katara wasn’t exactly sure how she managed to do all of that, but Suki was a superhero in her eyes. 

Suki smiled, “That part is easy. We’ll raise them in the traditions of both. After all, Sokka proposed to me with a traditional Water Tribe necklace.”

Katara nodded as she eyed, the betrothal necklace having from the woman’s neck. 

“That makes sense to me, I think if I were to marry someone from another nation I would try and do the same.”

“I don’t mean to complain too much, I do love your brother. And the combining of two nations is really beautiful.”

Katara smiled, “Well is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes, distract me!” Suki laughed, “I feel like everyone in my family wants to talk about the wedding right now. I just want to have a normal day with no wedding talk.”

Katara laughed, “I can definitely do that.”

“Good, so what’s new with you? You’re helping Zuko find his mom?”

“Yeah, he asked me to go with him and I didn’t even think twice about it really.”

Suki smiled, “That’s good. I’m glad he’s not doing this alone. I know me and him were late to joining team Avatar but I love the friendship and memories we all have. It makes me happy that even years later, we can still rely on one another, ya know?”

Katara nodded, “I do. Nothing brings people together like war.”

Suki nodded, “I know I became a warrior at a young age, but sometimes I see 16-year-olds out playing and having fun and I realize at their age I was fighting for my life, and living in prisons.”

“We’ve all been through a lot.”

“That we have. How have you been holding up with all of that? I know it’s been some time, but we’ve all seen and done a lot.”

She thought about the question, had Suki asked her a year ago, her response would have been different. Hell, if she’d asked her six months ago it would have been different. She wasn’t in a good place, hadn’t been for a while. But ever since she moved to the Fire Nation she had slowly started to feel more like herself. 

“I’m much better now than I was before. What about you?”

Suki gave her a small smile, “About the same, I guess. Sokka and I talk about it a lot. It helps to have someone to talk to. Someone that understands.”

“I understand that I don’t know what I would do without Zuko. He’s been my rock these past few months.”

“I’ll bet. Would you like me to make you some tea?”

“Yes please,” Katara nodded as Suki stood up to begin boiling water.

“How is Zuko doing?”

“He’s much better now too, I think we all have scars from this war that we’re trying to live with.”

Suki nodded, “What about Aang and Toph have you heard from them?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Toph, but…I saw Aang a couple of days ago.”

“Oh! How is he doing?”

Katara shrank down in her seat some, “Uhm..he’s okay.”

“Why are you being weird?” Suki asked her with a frown.

“I’m not being weird.”

“Yes, you are. Did something happen?”

As much as Katara wanted to keep what happened with Aang a secret from his friends she was desperate for advice on the subject. 

“Kind of. Okay, promise you won’t tell Sokka?”

Suki came to sit down beside her. “Of course, you’re my sister now. We can have things between us.”

Katara flashed her a grateful smile before beginning. 

“So three years ago, when we were all in Ba Sing Se, Aang and I kissed. We didn’t talk about it because honestly, we didn’t have a lot of time to talk about it. We both became so busy with everything, and then he confronted me about it. He wanted to know how I felt about him. At the time, I didn’t have an answer. Fast forward to a couple of days ago, he came to visit me and Zuko and…I turned him down.”

Katara let out a breath as she finished up. It felt good to get it off her chest. Suki had handed her a cup of tea and was taking her seat. 

“Hm. And how do you feel about all of that?”

“Honestly? Relieved. I’m happy that we don’t have to dance around one another anymore and things can go back to how they were before all of this.”

“I gotta say, I’m a little surprised.”

“Really?” Katara sputtered. 

Suki nodded, “Mhm. I guess I just assumed you felt the same way about Aang.”

Shaking her head, Katara spoke. “No. I always saw him more of a little brother. I mean he was 12 after all when we first met.”

Suki laughed. “Yeah, I guess I can’t see a 14-year-old being that interested in a 12-year-old. Maybe if you all had met later in life.”

“Maybe. But, he’s not happy about my decision. He stormed off and didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Really? That sounds unlike him. I guess I can’t blame him. I’m sure he was hurt.”

Katara groaned into her hands. 

“Ugh, I feel terrible for hurting him.”

She felt Suki wrap her arms around her.

“It’s not your fault. We can’t help how we feel, and besides everyone experiences heartbreak at some point. Aang isn’t immune to that pain just because he’s the Avatar.”

“I know. I just hate that I’m the one to cause him pain. We’ve all been through so much.” Katara said still not removing her hands from her face.

“Katara, you can’t blame yourself for this. I know it’s hard to hurt the people you care about, but it’s better than the alternative of you leading him on. He just needs some time.”

Suki went back to her chair. “In the meantime, you can tell me what’s going on between you and Zuko.”

Katara’s heart dropped. _There was no way she knew._

“W-what do you mean?”

“C’mon Katara. Do you really want to do this with me?”

Katara stayed silent.

Suki shook her head laughing. “I first noticed something a few weeks ago when we came to visit, it was subtle but the two of you just seemed different around one another. More comfortable. It could have just been because of all the extra time you were spending together so I didn’t think much of it. But, then I heard you were accompanying him to find his mom and now after seeing the two of you in a room together I can easily see there’s something there.You should have seen both of your faces when Sokka mentioned setting Zuko up with my cousin. That was the final confirmation.”

Katara knew she could try to deny it, but what was the point. It was Suki and she knew them too well.

“I thought we were doing a better job of hiding it and being subtle.”

“Eh. Maybe, to people that don’t know you. I bet Sokka could’ve figured it out too if he wasn’t so happy to see you both.”

“Does Aang know?”

“Yes, he kind of guessed.”

“Hm. I think you two should rethink your definition of subtle.”

“Yeah…maybe.”

“Why are you hiding it? We would be happy for you. Or is it because of politics?”

“I mean, it’s new. At first, we were waiting for me to talk to Aang but now I guess we just haven’t had the opportunity to tell anyone yet. What do you mean by politics?”

“Surely you’ve heard the rumors about the Blood Brothers?”

“Blood Brothers?”

“Yes, apparently they don’t believe the Fire Nation should hold power anymore. They want to remove the Fire Lord and essentially disband the Fire Nation.”

“What?! They can’t do that!”

“I know, they’re out for blood. They have plans to assassinate the Fire Lord and anyone that supports them. But, so far no one has seen them. We’re all pretty sure it’s just a rumor. It definitely can’t be true if they allowed Zuko to leave the safety of his kingdom.” 

Suki tried to assure her but her mind was already flying at this point. Was Zuko in danger? Is this why they wanted him to take a large escort? 

“I can see you overthinking. I’m telling you there is no way this group is real. I shouldn’t have mentioned it, I was just thinking of reasons you two would keep your relationship quiet. Now before the boys come back tell me how this happened in the first place. I’m trying to imagine this.”

“Is it that surprising? Me and Zuko?” Katara asked looking down. 

Suki was silent for a minute. “Hm. The more I think about it, I guess not. I mean you two have always had an interesting relationship. I can see the two of you completing one another. You’re always so confident and self-assured and he’s more awkward and timid at times. But, then he’s also so kind and giving and I can see you two being able to find balance with one another.”

Katara nodded. “We got really close when I moved to help train young fire benders in water bending movements. I think we were both still broken from the war and we just kind of came together. It was definitely not in my plans.”

“The best types of romance never is. I’m happy for you, Katara. You both deserve this.”

“I think that’s why I feel so guilty. I hurt Aang and now he’s upset and I’m just…happy.”

“Don’t feel guilty for being happy. Look, I promise you Aang will be better soon. But, you have to move on from this. You can’t let this guilt hold you back from your happiness.”

Katara nodded. She didn’t even realize she had tears streaming down her face until Suki wiped them away with her thumb. Suki pulled her into a hug. 

“Thank you so much for this,” Katara said into the woman’s neck.

“It’s nothing. What are sisters for?”

The two of them laughed until they heard the door open. 

“Are we interrupting something?” Sokka asked in a joking tone.

Suki rolled her eyes. “Men” she mouthed to Katara. 

“No, you guys are fine. I’m glad you’re here so we can get started on dinner. I’m starving.”

Katara watched as Suki and Sokka argued over what to make for dinner. She smiled at them. They seemed so happy and carefree. It had been a while since she’d been that carefree. 

Zuko came to stand beside her. 

“Are you okay?” He asked her concern shining in his eyes. 

“I’m fine. We just caught up.” 

He nodded. 

“She knows, by the way. About us.” 

“Okay.”

“Okay? Is that all you’re going to say?”

Zuko furrowed his eyebrow. “What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know. I mean are you okay with her knowing?” Katara bit her lip.

“Is that what this is about?”

Katara didn’t respond. 

“Katara, I would make a royal proclamation that you and I are together if it was what I thought you wanted. I do not care at all who knows. I personally want to tell everyone. You have no idea how hard it was to not tell your brother today. To sit through him trying to set me up with all these women that do not even hold a candle to you. I just assumed you wanted to keep this private.”

She was speechless. She realized she hadn’t ever really asked Zuko his opinion on this topic, she just assumed and clearly she assumed incorrectly. What is it they say? When you assume you make an ass out of you and me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t even ask your opinion about this.”

“It’s okay, Katara. I guess I never asked yours either.”

“I’m sorry, I’m so bad at this.” She was whispering now. It wasn’t like it mattered Sokka and Suki were making a lot of noise as they gather the tools needed for dinner.

“Bad at what?”

“Relationships. You’re my first…official one.”

Zuko grabbed her hand. “I’m not great at them either.”

“But at least you have experience in this field, I’m starting from blank. I may mess up a lot.”

“It’s okay, I’ll mess up too. Let’s just promise to stay patient with one another?”

Katara nodded.

“Hey! What are you two doing over there?” Sokka yelled over to them. “Come help with dinner.”

They walked over to Sokka and Suki. 

Sokka kept eyeing them. 

“Sokka.” Katara waited until she had his full attention. 

She grabbed Zuko’s hand. “I’m dating Zuko.” 

No one said anything. Zuko looked slightly surprised but pretty calm for the most part. Suki was grinning from ear to ear and looked stunned to say the least.

“You know you should probably close your mouth so you don’t let any flies in.” Katara joked him. 

“What..wait. What??! When did this happen?”

“Pretty recently,” Zuko stated. 

“Ugh no. My best friend and my sister? Really?”

“Well, I think it's adorable,” Suki said as she wrapped her arm around her fiancé’s waist.

“But..but I was going to introduce you to Suki’s cousin. We could’ve been family if it had worked out” 

“Technically you two can still be family, babe.” Suki laughed. 

Sokka jumped. “Yep, no I’m not even gonna go there.”

“Are you mad?” Zuko asked him. 

Katara squeezed his hand tighter in anticipation of his response.

“I’m not mad. I mean I’m not thrilled. It’s weird. I feel like I need to give both of you the don’t hurt my person talk. I just don’t want to have to choose between the two of you.”

“That would never happen Sokka. Zuko and I are old enough to be mature about this should it not end well.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. Wow. I gotta say I’m a little surprised.”

Katara rolled her eyes, she wished people would stop saying that. It’s not like they were total opposites. Although, technically they were in terms of their bending.

“I’m just glad you know, now can we please start making dinner?”

“Absolutely, Katara you can start choosing vegetables,” Suki said as she started barking out orders for everyone.

The four of them made a traditional Earth Kingdom dish since they were in Omashu. After dinner, they all lounged around and caught up. Zuko told them all the information he had on his mom while Sokka and Suki updated them on wedding plans and how they split their time between the two nations. Before long they were all yawning.

“Well, I made up two bedrooms for you two but if you want to share one that’s fine too.”

“Ew, Suki stop encouraging them.”

“Grow up Sokka, they’re adults. It’s not like we aren’t sharing a bedroom.”

“That’s different!”

“Oh? How so?”

Katara could hear them going back and forth down the hallway before she heard a door shut. She shook her head in amusement. 

“They’re perfect for each other,” Zuko spoke.

“They really are. I don’t know how she puts up with him, but she always has. She thinks he’s funny.”

“So…” Zuko said as he scratched the back of his head in a nervous gesture. 

“So,” Katara repeated.

“Do..you uhm want to share a bed..with me?”

He averted his eyes from her. 

“I’d like that.”

“Really?”

Katara nodded. “I sleep better with you anyway.”

“Yeah me too.” 

They went into one of the bedrooms and Katara grabbed her things to go into the restroom to change. After changing she saw Zuko was already sitting up in bed.

She sat down on the bed and started to braid her hair before bed.

“Do you always do that before you sleep?”

“Usually, it helps to keep it from looking a mess in the morning.”

“Hm. Maybe I should try that.”

“Do you know how to braid?”

“No. I don’t.” 

“Come here, I’ll show you.”

Zuko scooted closer to Katara so he was sitting beside her on the bed.

She split her hair into three parts and began to show him the over and under motions. After showing him a few times she let go of her hair and had him try. 

She shivered as he played in her hair. The sensation was relaxing her. Closing her eyes she leaned into his touch. 

When she opened her eyes again, she noticed he was done and he was just staring at her. She blushed at the intensity of his gaze but found she couldn’t look away. 

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Don’t thank me yet. It looks nowhere near as good as what you usually do.”

“It’s okay, I’m only sleeping with it. Do you want me to braid your hair?”

He nodded, “If you don’t mind.”

Katara didn’t mind at all. She loved playing with Zuko’s hair. She hadn’t told him this but she much preferred the longer look to the shorter hairstyle he had when he was younger. 

She was experienced with braiding and usually dealt with thicker and longer hair so she was done with his braid in no time. 

After their hair was braided the two of them laid down in the dark. 

“Zuko, have you heard of the blood brotherhood?”

“I have. But, I don’t think they’re real.”

“We don’t know that for sure though. Zuko we have to be careful from now on, these people want to kill you.”

“I know. And we will be careful. I doubt we’ll run into them anyway _if_ they’re real.” 

Katara didn’t say anything. With their luck, they would absolutely be real. She would just stay on alert so she could make sure no harm came to them. 

“Katara, can I ask you something personal?”

She turned in the bed to face him. “Of course.”

“Will you tell me about a memory you have with your mother?”

Katara frowned into the dark, that was an odd request. It also made her uneasy, because the truth was she didn’t have many memories of her mother. The older she got, the more she seemed to forget despite her desperate attempts to save the memories.

“Uhm. Let me think.”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do. It’s just hard to remember.”

“I understand.” Zuko sighed. “I guess I’m just feeling anxious about meeting my mom and I wanted to know about yours. I bet she was amazing, I know she was fearless.”

“She was, she was both of those things. I remember her kindness, and how growing up I was the only bender and when kids would make fun of me she always reminded me to still be kind and never respond to cruelty to with cruelty. I remember being in the kitchen with her, she would braid my hair and just talk to me about her day. I used to think it was the coolest thing because that’s what the older ladies did. They would all sit and gossip and when my mom would talk to me it made me feel included.”

Katara stopped. She had to take a breath but she could still feel the slight burn in the back of her eyes, giving her a brief warning of the tears threatening to fall.

“I wish you would’ve had more time with her. I’m sorry for bringing up a painful subject.”

“No, it’s okay. It feels good to talk about her actually. I don’t do it enough.”

Katara scooted closer to Zuko and placed her head on his chest.

“What are you going to say to her when you first meet her?” She asked him as has brought an arm around her waist.

“I don’t know. Maybe..hi. Or, hello. Do you think she’ll recognize me?”

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. You are her son after all.” 

“Yeah, we’ll see.”

Katara yawned. 

“C’mon you need some sleep. We both do.”

“Will we be there tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow, but the next day.”

Katara nodded, eyes slowly closing. “Mkay. Sokka was right about you. You are squishy."

Zuko's laughter was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! 
> 
> This will definitely be the shortest chapter, I actually cut this chapter in half so I could get it posted sooner. If I didn't post it now, I don't know when it would have been posted. I hope you all enjoy though! I'm really excited about this story, it will definitely be a journey haha. 
> 
> As always, I really appreciate your kudos and comments! 
> 
> \- MR :)


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